A musical’s inaugural tentpole of the Christmas season is off to a promising start.
At the Friday box office, the Timothée Chalamet-starring film Wonka brought in $14.4 million on its opening day from 4,203 locations, setting it up for a minimum of $38 million in its North American premiere.
Charming $38 million U.S. opening for Timothée Chalamet’s “Wonka” Dancing
That’s a great beginning for a musical, which hasn’t done well lately. Wonka is a humorous origin story about the mythical candyman Willy Wonka, who was portrayed by Gene Wilder in the iconic film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It comes from Warner Bros. and Harry Potter series producer David Heyman.
Wonka had an A- CinemaScore from the audience, and 60% of Friday’s ticket purchasers were in the 18–34 age range. With 33 percent of ticket purchasers being in the 18 to 24 age range, the largest quad was made up of those who were between the ages of 13 and 17, highlighting Chalamet’s popularity among younger moviegoers. Wonka currently has a 54 percent female tilt.
The film, which was directed by Paul King of Paddington fame and starred Chalamet as a young Willy Wonka, is a visual treat, with Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman, Keegan-Michael Key, Calah Lane, Paterson Joseph, Rich Fulcher, Rakhee Thakrar, Tom Davis, and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith among the star-studded ensemble cast.
Wonka intends to have a boisterous Christmas vocal performance. This weekend is usually difficult for moviegoers since a lot of people are preoccupied with shopping for gifts and other preparations, but on December 25, when the presents are opened, the multiplex sees a noticeable increase in visitors.
Warners is in control of the year-end lineup. The DC superhero film Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom releases on December 22. The Color Purple, a musical, opens on Christmas Day. On the family front, Migration, the first animated event picture from Universal and Illumination, will be released on December 22.
The musical genre has had a rough year recently, but Wonka (along with Color Purple) wants to break through this bad luck and equal the popularity of movies like Hugh Jackman’s The Greatest Showman, which opened to a terrible reception over the Christmas season in 2017 before taking off and becoming extremely successful.
One of the first Hollywood films to be released following the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike is Wonka. The fact that Warners and the producers could send Chalamet out to promote and market the PG-rated movie caused them to exhale deeply. The young actor, who will next be seen in Dune: Part Two, which Warners and Legendary postponed until March of next year so that Chalamet and co-star Zendaya could do publicity, is especially popular with young ladies. Sunday’s numbers will be updated.
In the first trailer, Timothee Chalamet gives a satisfyingly sweet glimpse as “Wonka.”
The first trailer for Wonka, the prequel about the guy who created the mystique surrounding candy, with Timothée Chalamet, has been published. The delay has ended. Here is the well-known chocolatier.
Paul King, the creative force behind the beloved Paddington series for kids, has a goal in mind. He’s been committed to honoring the real Willy Wonka, the man behind the plant. More crucially, King wanted the prequel to be “a companion piece” to the 1971 original picture when he first talked of folding one out of sugar, milk chocolate, and any cinematic magic tidbit you can think.
King confidently stated that this prequel will “answer all the questions you never had” about Wonka during the London trailer presentation.
There will be a seven-year voyage of toffee, pralines, truffles, and chocolatier fantasy set against the imaginary backdrop of Willy Wonka’s universe. Chalamet gives Wonka the much-needed purity that the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp version lacked.
The 27-year-old Chalamet is sure of his Wonka flare. With every move, his velvet purple coat and dusty brown top hat flop about. He sails to us on a ship, establishes himself, and permanently alters the landscape of chocolate.
King has also stated that, despite the lack of music in the teaser, the shows would contain original compositions by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy as well as novel takes on beloved tunes like “Pure Imagination.”
Who is Willy Wonka?
The world took notice when eccentric and humorous writer Roald Dahl released Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 1964. Both parents and children were enthralled with the narrative. They got to know eccentric candy inventor Willy Wonka and a small child named Charlie Bucket. It seemed like a dream that these two were living, although at different ends of their imaginations, and it seemed inevitable that they would cross paths.
Everything is due to a Golden Ticket.
Dahl created Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, a sequel, ten years later. Even while the novel captured the attention of readers all over the world, Gene Wilder’s captivating and unforgettable portrayal of Wonka in the 1971 classic Willa Wonka and the Chocolate Factory made Wonka a reality a year earlier.
Screenwriter and director of the prequel, King is amazed by the material he is working with. That kind of obvious appreciation for the writer will only result in a beautiful script.
It was good to be so inspired by Roald Dahl, even if, as a writer, he remarked, “I don’t think of myself in the same breath.”
We haven’t spent much time in a “world of pure imagination” lately. However, it appears that this teaser continues where Wilder left off. The teaser and trailer have calmed the sappy-toothed commentators despite the hoopla around Chalamet’s treatment of Wonka fans.
To the astonishment of the same group of sugar-coated critics, this rendition also features a good portion of song and dancing.
King continued, “What makes [Chalamet]so amazing is that I think a lot of people his age would have been tempted to don a superhero costume and then go out and save the world.” And I succeeded in getting him to perform some tap dancing and put on a pair of heeled leather boots.
Keegan-Michael Key, Rowan Atkinson, Sally Hawkins, Olivia Colman, Paterson Joseph, Mathew Baynton, and Matt Lucas are among the cast members of Wonka. Warner Bros.’ release date in North America is December 15.
Paul Shawn Wood
This man has been an enthusiast of geek culture ever since he watched “Dune” in the $1 cinema when he was a child. He didn’t start writing about it (a lot) until he started working as a professional copywriter, ghostwriter, and speechwriter.
From the majesty of the Sith to the brilliance of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis to the gluttony of today’s comic book lover, SPW appreciates thoughtful discussion on entertainment. In addition, he has an addiction to narrative, listicles, pointless information, and the Oxford comma. He also likes his jokes to be intentional.